Chapter 41: Chapter Forty-One: Saving Someone

Chen Delin pressed his lips together, snickering—but as he laughed, the laughter died on his face.

Because he noticed his grandson's hair was half-wet, strands still dripping water, and mud caked along the edges of his shoes.

His face changed abruptly. He strode over, grabbed the boy by the collar, and hauled him up.

"Did you go wading in the river outside the city again?!"

Chen Yijiang kicked his feet a couple of times, squirmed, and flashed an ingratiating grin at his grandfather, whose face had gone dark enough to drip ink.

"If I told you I just went to the river to wash my hair, would you believe me?"

"I don't believe a word of it!"

Chen Delin smacked him several times with the sole of his shoe.

"I told you to learn your lesson—last time you nearly lost your life there, and you still dare go back!"

"Ah! Help!"

Chen Yijiang bolted, slipping through the crowd like a little loach, nimble as could be.

"Daddy, help!"

Chen Delin chased after him and landed another smack with his shoe.

"Today you can call down the Heavenly King himself and it won't do you any good!"

Watching the dense shoe prints on Chen Yijiang's backside, Yu'an couldn't help but shiver.

Chen Old Gentleman is so scary—that little brother is really pitiful.

The next moment, the little fellow turned his head to look aside.

But what does it have to do with him? He's still angry!

Grandfather and grandson chased each other around the courtyard several times, both drenched in sweat and panting for breath.

"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and take the young master back to rest, and draw him a hot bath!"

Once the troublesome grandson was led away by the steward, Chen Delin put his shoe back on, bowed to Cheng Old Madam, and gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"I've made a fool of myself in front of you. Truly shameful, shameful indeed."

Cheng Old Madam smiled faintly and shook her head.

"Not at all. Yi Jiang is a good child. Besides, he's still a little boy—it's good for him to be lively."

After carefully gathering up the shards on the ground, the Cheng Family returned to their temporary courtyard.

In the evening, half a quarter-hour after supper, Cheng Qiuluo took Yu'an to the courtyard to practice horse stance and swing a wooden saber.

"Although you didn't lose today, it was mainly because the other boy wasn't on his guard against you. So, to make sure you can keep winning in the future, from today onward, all your training will be doubled, with extra practice at night!"

Yu'an clenched his little fists and nodded firmly.

"Okay, Little Aunt! I understand!"

Then the little fellow gripped his small wooden saber tight and swung it with grunts and huffs.

The moment An Luo came in, she saw Zaituan training so hard, and felt both proud and a little heartache.

"You have to practice martial arts at night too?"

Hearing her voice, Yu'an's big eyes suddenly lit up. He felt a fresh surge of energy and swung the saber even harder, stroke after stroke.

【Fairy Sister! Yu'an had a fight today, and he won!】

Hearing this, An Luo's brows knit tightly.

"A fight? What happened? Did you run into assassins again?"

Has the information leaked, or are the Chen Family unreliable?

The little fellow shook his head.

【No, it's…】

The childish, milky little voice of Zaituan sounded in her ear, recounting the day's events sentence by sentence.

When she heard that Zaituan had actually pinned a bigger child to the ground and beaten him, An Luo clapped her hands in delight.

"Zaituan is amazing, so good!"

When she learned that the whole cause of it was just a bubble machine she'd casually bought for a few coins, An Luo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing that Yu'an liked it, An Luo simply went downstairs to the supermarket and bought a bunch of children's educational toys.

Meanwhile, over in Beihuang City.

At night, after spending a while at Cheng Old Madam's place, the Cheng Family was about to head back to their rooms to rest when a sudden knock sounded at the courtyard gate.

Cheng Feng reported from outside the door.

"Old Madam, it's Steward Zhao. He says the Chen family's young master has taken ill, and he'd like to ask Lady Da to come take a look."

"Ill?"

Meng Shi first glanced at Cheng Old Madam.

Cheng Old Madam gave her a nod, then looked at Yu'an.

"The little brother Yu'an met during the day has fallen ill. Does Yu'an want to go see him?"

The moment he heard that, the image of the bubble machine being smashed and stomped on the ground flashed through Yu'an's mind.

The little fellow immediately scrunched up his little face, tilted his small head to one side, and pouted.

"Not going!"

Hearing this, Cheng Old Madam nodded. Unless the illness was very serious, the Chen Family wouldn't have come to trouble them.

She had thought that if Yu'an went, the Immortal would pay some attention, and that way the child would suffer less. But she didn't want to force Yu'an to do something he didn't want to do.

Although the Chen Family had been dragged into this because of Pingnan Marquis Residence, and she was willing to compensate them, Yu'an was her last indulgence and bottom line.

Cheng Old Madam rubbed the little fellow's head.

"Alright, if Yu'an doesn't want to go, then we won't go."

Then she looked toward Meng Shi.

"Go on, quickly."

Meng Shi picked up the medicine box she had just packed and was about to head out the door when Yu'an suddenly jumped down from his own great-grandmother's arms, pattered to the doorway, and reached out to tug at the hem of her clothes.

The little one pressed his lips together, his big dark eyes wide open, and in his milky little voice there was a trace of hesitation.

"Is he… very seriously sick?"

Meng Shi thought for a moment, then nodded.

"The City Lord's Manor has its own physicians. For them to come seeking our help this late at night, it must be very serious."

Hearing this, a flicker of worry passed through Yu'an's big eyes.

The little one immediately thought of the time he himself had been sick — it had been miserable: headache, sore eyes, sore throat, aching bones, pain everywhere.

Although that little young master had smashed his bubble machine and been very rude, and he had been very angry at the time.

Hmm, even now he was still a little angry, but he had already hit him back, and the little young master had come down with such a serious illness and was already suffering terribly…

Yu'an puffed out his cheeks and held up one soft, plump little index finger.

"Then I'll just go take a look, just one look, okay? I won't look any more than that."

The Cheng Family members exchanged smiles, and Meng Shi laughed as she picked him up.

"Alright, we'll only take one look."

……

Arriving at the Bamboo Courtyard, maids and servants bustled in and out, endlessly busy.

Father and son of the Chen Family stood by the bedside, watching the Imperial Physician take the pulse with tense, anxious expressions.

Once inside, Yu'an peeked out from his own grandmother's arms and looked over — that little young master who had been arrogant and wild, bristling with energy, bursting with life, and equally bursting with temper during the day.

Was now lying on the bed with an unnaturally flushed face, barely clinging to life, frowning even in his coma, endlessly murmuring that he felt miserable.

Like a fish pulled out of the water, slowly losing its vitality and life, helplessly and desperately opening and closing its mouth, its gills flaring weakly now and then, quietly waiting…

The sight made Yu'an's heart feel tight; he clutched his grandmother's clothes tightly, his fair little face full of panic and helplessness.

At that moment, the Imperial Physician straightened up as well.

"Old Master, my lord, the young master has caught a chill. Let me prescribe one dose of medicine, combined with a family tradition of massage techniques, and he should recover within a few days."

"Within a few days?!"

Chen Ying reached out to test the temperature of his son's body, his face dark as he challenged.

"He's burning up this badly — how long do you think he can hold on?!"

While they were speaking, Yu'an had already quietly taken out the children's cold medicine granules and poured them into a cup, mixing them with warm water.

Meng Shi carried the cup over.

"This medicine I happened to obtain by chance — it has a remarkable effect in reducing fever."

"Good, good, good — many thanks, Lady Da."

Because of what had happened before, Chen Delin did not hesitate for a moment, quickly taking it and bringing it to his grandson's lips.

The Imperial Physician's nose twitched as he looked suspiciously at the brown liquid in the cup.

Not a trace of medicinal smell — instead, there was a sweet scent?

Surely it couldn't just be a cup of sugar water!

But what did that have to do with him?

The young master's illness had come on with terrifying force and was far too tricky to handle. If the timing was delayed, it was entirely possible the fever could burn out his wits.

He could hardly wish for another physician to show up sooner, so he could toss out this hot potato — that way, even if the boy couldn't be cured, the blame wouldn't fall on his own head.

"Yu'an, tell them they can wipe his palms and the soles of his feet with strong liquor."

An Luo said from off-screen.

The little one quietly told his own grandmother.

After Meng Shi relayed it, the room became busy again. With too many people inside wasn't ideal either, so aside from the maids and servants helping to wipe him down with the strong liquor, everyone else went out to the outer room to wait.

Half a shichen later, a servant came running out joyfully to report.

"Old Master, my lord, the young master's fever has broken!"

Hearing this, the little fist Yu'an had been clutching so tightly finally loosened.

The moment he relaxed, drowsiness immediately washed over him. The little one rubbed his eyes, his small head bobbing like a chick pecking at grain, dipping lower and lower.

After Meng Shi took her leave of Chen Delin and his son, she wrapped Yu'an up in a cloak and carried the little one back.

The moment An Luo exited the Live Stream Room, she received a call from her college roommate.

"Luoluo, hurry and check the campus network — someone posted about you, and it says the most awful things!"

"What post?!"

An Luo hurriedly hung up the phone and found the school forum.

Right at the very top, the post with the highest popularity and the most discussion — the subject of it was her!